Welcome to the first part of a new Punktuation series, where we interview the folks behind the scenes who make the shows happen!
If you live in or around London and you like punk and rock n’ roll, you really should be following Shake Some Acton, who have clocked up over 150 shows and have been great friends to us here at Punktuation! We recently met up with Mannie for a chat, on a rainy afternoon at London’s Hope & Anchor…
How are you, and how have the last few months been for Shake Some Acton?
I’m fine thanks, mate, apart from the weather! We’re all of a sunny disposition here anyway, people come to the gigs for a bit of rock n’ roll. We’ve put on lots of different bands, some local bands, and others from across Europe and further, and it’s gone really well in general!
You started the year with a sell-out gig from Deaf Devils, didn’t you? How did that go?
Well, Deaf Devils, you know what they’re like! They gave it 100% and then some – you know, moving the drum kit into the middle of the floor, burning the setlist, going absolutely crazy throughout. They’ll be back at the end of July for some more UK dates and Rebellion Festival!
So how did you get into this kind of music in the first place? What were your ‘gateway’ bands?
Well, before punk, I guess it would have been the likes of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Status Quo, and before that all the 60s stuff – but I was just a nipper back then! Then punk came along, and it was the Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, The Vibrators, those kind of bands. That’s when I really started to go to gigs, to experience proper live rock n’ roll. The Lurkers, 999, them also. So yeah, the touch paper was lit, and off I went!
And you’re also a drummer, aren’t you?
Yes, but I started off playing guitar in Chaos, in 1978, then I had a break before starting to play drums in Psychodrama and also a couple of bands with Derek Gibbs of The Satellites. I also played in The Satellites, and still play in Morgellons – we’re playing here [the Hope & Anchor] with Foxy and The Phobics, on the 10th July. Should be a fun one!
And how did you originally get into promoting?
Originally it was in the 80s, in a wine bar in Acton – I started DJing in there, and then I said “why don’t we do some bands?”, and it ended up being bands on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Punk, garage, psychobilly, rock bands…it was around the time of Klub Foot at the Clarendon in Hammersmith, and of course the Hammersmith Palais just down the road. So people would go out in Hammersmith, and then come to the bar, because it was open late. It was absolutely mental at the bar, there was always a fight every weekend! But they were fun days, absolutely.
Then that stopped in the mid-80s, and then I got back into it again about eight years ago – also at a pub in Acton. Funnily enough, that was the Morgellons’ Christmas party, in 2017, and then after that, I had a word with the owner and offered to do some more gigs there, and that’s how Shake Some Acton started. We gradually started to do gigs in other parts of London…Shepherds Bush, West Hampstead, Harrow, and various other places.
What would you say is your favourite, or some of your favourite shows that you’ve promoted?
Definitely Reverend Beat Man, he was fantastic – it’s absolutely unique what he does, and he’s also the head honcho from The Monsters, but his solo stuff is amazing too. The Darts, from America, who are coming back over for Halloween, they were great too. The Pandoras, Savage Rhythm Club, Mullet Monster Mafia, The Peawees…so many great bands, both locally and from abroad, I can’t pick just one. There have been so many!
How’s the state of live music in the UK, as you see it?
Difficult! Yeah, very challenging. I think you’re ok if you’re AEG or Live Nation, if you’re one of those organisations that get grants from the government, but it is difficult for individual promoters and small venues. And it’s been even more challenging since Covid!
A lot of the bands that come over from Europe are amazed that venues here don’t get grants, because in their countries, it’s different – they seem to value the arts more, especially in countries like Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It’s sad, really, because the arts are a massive part of our culture too, and the money they bring into the economy is huge. At least now there’s the Music Venue Trust, where they put a quid or so onto the tickets for big music venues, which goes towards funding smaller venues and the equipment they need. But, you know, we do it for the love of it!
And is there anything that you really wish people knew or understood about promoting gigs?
Well, you’ve got to be good at dealing with people – everyone’s got their own individual set of needs, you’ve got to liaise with the bands, with their management, with the booking agents, with the venues, with your colleagues! And of course, with anyone who comes to the gigs, because even if just one person walks away after the gig saying that they really enjoyed it, that’s a bonus – and if it’s more than one, it’s even better!
How’s the rest of 2026 looking for you? We’ve already mentioned Deaf Devils coming back in July – any other particular plans in the pipeline?
Absolutely – there’s the Darts and Witchdoktors Halloween gig, and there should be a Vive Le X-Mess gig in Brighton, in collaboration with Vive Le Rock magazine. Mullet Monster Mafia are coming back over, as are the Loyal Cheaters, The Oh No’s and plenty more coming up!
Photo Credit: ALEX GOOSE
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
